Into the Cedar Chest

With two (count them...one...two!) projects begun and finished, I was really on a roll! This is when I decided that I wanted to try my hand at knitting again. (Told you I would get to this part eventually.)

A good friend of mine at my first job out of graduate school taught me to knit. (I had been shown before, but it didn't sink in the first time.) I had knit several baby hats and a few scarves, but nothing above a basic beginner level. Most of what I had knit was UFO's (UnFinished Objects for the uninitiated in 'knitter speak') in a large cedar chest in my upstairs office.

With the bravery of a stalwart soldier headed into battle, I forged through the tangle of cheap acrylic yarn and sharp metal needles in various sizes, on a mission to sort, separate, and complete the vast array of strange half-finished items in the chest. (Well, at least those that I could remember what they were supposed to have been.)

The first thing that I tackled will probably look familiar to anyone who has ever picked up a "Learn to Knit" kit at your local superstore. It is a simple vest pullover. (Forgive the blurry image. The striping in the yarn made it almost impossible to photograph anyway.)

I had begun it out of a lovely Red-Heart acrylic (no sarcasm here) in a tan and blue-green colorway. (Still not sure why we can't just say 'color', but it does sound so much more sophisticated, doesn't it?) I had no idea that there was such a thing as BFL, or Merino, or that wool feels so much better in your hands than cheap acrylic that refuses to drape in a pleasing manner. The idea of a LYS (local yarn shop) was completely alien to me, as well. Didn't everyone buy yarn at Wal-Mart?

Thus, with a beginner vest pattern in hand, cheap needles, and even cheaper yarn, I completed my first wearable garment! (It actually is wearable. See? It is modeled on a real-life person!)

Thus, I declared myself a success, a real knitter, and able to conquer all!!!

That is until I tackled the green hat for Charlotte....but, I am getting ahead of myself.

Happy Knitting!!!

-Your (project-finishing) Knitting Girlfriend

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Radiant Raffia Giveaway

How to Cast On in Knitting: A Guide to Two Popular Techniques

How do you decrease in knitting? K2tog and SSK explained